


Learner

by Yuletide (Zebra)



Category: Foreigner Series - C. J. Cherryh
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-24
Updated: 2013-12-24
Packaged: 2018-01-06 00:12:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1100184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zebra/pseuds/Yuletide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a long night learning new things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Learner

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lizardbeth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizardbeth/gifts).



Bren’s light hair stood in stark contrast to Tabini’s fingers.

Edi had told him about the ladies’ fascination with the paidhi’s hair, and Tabini wasn’t at all inclined to share that the paidhi’s hair was as light all over. Or that he had some rather interesting ideas on what one could do in a bed … or out of it.

Tabini stroked Bren’s back. The paidhi slept on. Tabini himself had only woken mere moments ago and found the morning sun streaming in through the windows—or security hazards, as his bodyguards called them. But this morning they had certainly paid off that little risk. Bren’s hair was gleaming under the rays of the sun. 

Yes, given all that had happened recently, baji and naji certainly favored Tabini. Not only had he become aiji, the following realignment of man’chi had been easy and long in the coming. Valasi had been just too backward bound; it was time that the atevi got to harvest the fruits of their hard labor. The resources they sent to Mospheira fed the humans’ industry. The pilots flying the planes saw many strange things ripening, and Tabini intended to sample them and pick the best of the crop.

And with his new paidhi, he was sure to get the best. Bren was no comparison to the dour, lifeless man who previously held the station. It was really baji and naji’s greatest favor to have sent him Bren. Just as old Tabini himself, just as curious—and, in time, he would be just as open as well. There was still some hesitancy, but eventually Tabini would be sure of Bren’s man’chi, no matter how much the humans claimed not to feel man’chi. Tabini had read what his predecessors had written about their paidhiin. They might call it whatever they wanted, but the end result was the same. Some paidhiin had felt their man’chi to Mospheira and only done what was necessary to prevent another war, while others had certainly been the Ragi’s in all their doings. 

It was Tabini’s goal to have Bren in his man’chi, even after three months he could already seen that Bren surpassed the previous paidhiin in brilliance and abilities, in time he would surpass them in knowledge.

Bren sighed and, opening his eyes, moved away. Tabini let him go. The closest man’chi came when given freely. It was always suspect when the giver had no other choice.

“Good morning, nand’ paidhi. How are you? Not in need of a doctor, I should hope.”

The paidhi groaned and hide under a pillow, but not before Tabini had seen the fascinating red color Bren’s skin could become. He wouldn’t tell the ladies about that, either.

“Oh, god. The Department is going to skin me.”

Bren’s voice was muffled by the pillow.

“Isn’t it the paidhi’s duty to educate us on everything the humans know?”

The paidhi put his pillow aside, and Tabini marveled at how spectacularly Bren failed at keeping his emotions off his face. Wilson had been dead as a stone, even to an ateva, but Bren was more emotive than a young child. The result was endlessly fascinating. Every so often Bren would slip and show glimpses of a torrent of emotions no ateva had seen before. Last night Bren’s control hadn’t broken, but still he had been delightfully passionate. Tabini shuddered to think of how he would bear the brunt when he finally managed to make Bren let go of all his fears of the pesky Department and what the public might think. What happened beyond closed doors was hardly the public’s business.  
“It’s the paidhi’s duty to teach you about officially approved and tried out technology, not private techniques. The Department would lock me up somewhere and throw the key away, if I ever wrote dictionary entries about the words you taught me yesterday.”

Deep in thought, the paidhi was staring at the ceiling. There was a rather artistic and inspiring mural up there, although the paidhi didn’t seem to really comprehend what he was seeing. Instead, he was worrying about something that Tabini would never allow to happen. 

Tabini raised himself on one arm and loomed over Bren, refocusing the paidhi’s attention firmly back on Tabini himself. With the other hand Tabini softly touched Bren’s forehead. The worry lines there smoothed out under his touch.

“Your Department would have to get their hands on you first. I assure they can’t reach beyond my locked doors.”

Looking very thoughtful again, although the worry lines didn’t reappear, Bren caressed Tabini’s chest.

“What about the hasdrawad and the tashrid? Won’t they wonder what you are doing with the human?”

Tabini laughed and rolled onto his back, drawing Bren with him. Touching noses with the human now laying on him, he told Bren, “The Lords, Ladies, and Representatives can get their own humans to find out what one can do with them.”

“There’s only one human allowed on the mainland at any one time. Are you suggesting illegal human trafficking?”

Again Tabini laughed. He’d definitely keep Bren. His paidhi was a fast learner. Though he had been deathly afraid of every little misstep three months ago, he had now figured out how to please Tabini best. Tabini had every intention of rewarding that behavior and being very forgiving of those missteps, provided Tabini could ignore them in public. What Bren told him in private, Tabini would keep private, as long as there weren’t compelling reasons to do otherwise. Just as Tabini was sure Bren would keep Tabini’s secrets—with the added bonus that Bren would keep Tabini’s secrets private even with compelling reasons to do otherwise. Devising a test for that had been a good intellectual challenge. He couldn’t have the paidhi figure out what was going on, or hand him information that could do long-term harm, but still it had had to be something real. 

Bren had passed with flying colors only five days ago, and Tabini had stepped up his plans for the paidhi in response, resulting in last night. It had been a rather gratifying night, which Tabini intended to be followed by a rather gratifying morning. It was rare enough for him to have all morning to his own leisure. As much as he would like to continue bantering with the paidhi, there were other things he would rather do with him.

Like working on their techniques.


End file.
